Deng Xiaoping

Speech By Chairman of the Delegation of the People’s Republic
of China, Deng Xiaoping, At the Special Session of the U.N. General Assembly

Spoken: April, 10, 1974Source:
Speech By Chairman of the Delegation of the People’s Republic
of China, Teng Hsiao-Ping, At the Special Session of the U.N. General AssemblyPublisher: Foreign Languages PressTranscription/Markup: Christian LieblOnline Version: Deng Xiaoping Internet Archive
(marxists.org) 2003

Mr. President,

The special session of the United Nations
General Assembly on the problems of raw materials
and development is successfully convened on the
proposals of President Houari Boumediene of the
Council of Revolution of the Democratic People’s
Republic of Algeria and with the support of the
great majority of the countries of the world. This
is the first time in the 29 years since the founding
of the United Nations that a session is held specially
to discuss the important question of opposing imperialist
exploitation and plunder and effecting a
change in international economic relations. This
reflects that profound changes have taken place in
the international situation. The Chinese Government
extends its warm congratulations on the convocation
of this session and hopes that it will make
a positive contribution to strengthening the unity
of the developing countries, safeguarding their
national economic rights and interests and promoting
the struggle of all peoples against imperialism,
and particularly against hegemonism.

At present, the international situation is most
favourable to the developing countries and the
peoples of the world. More and more, the old
order based on colonialism, imperialism and hegemonism
is being undermined and shaken to its
foundations. International relations are changing
drastically. The whole world is in turbulence and
unrest. The situation is one of “great disorder
under heaven,” as we Chinese put it. This
“disorder” is a manifestation of the sharpening of
all the basic contradictions in the contemporary
world. It is accelerating the disintegration and
decline of the decadent reactionary forces and
stimulating the awakening and growth of the new
emerging forces of the people.

In this situation of “great disorder under
heaven,” all the political forces in the world have
undergone drastic division and realignment through
prolonged trials of strength and struggle. A large
number of Asian, African and Latin American
countries have achieved independence one after
another and they are playing an ever greater role
in international affairs. As a result of the emergence
of social-imperialism, the socialist camp
which existed for a time after World War II is no
longer in existence. Owing to the law of the uneven
development of capitalism, the Western imperialist
bloc, too, is disintegrating. Judging from the
changes in international relations, the world today
actually consists of three parts, or three worlds,
that are both interconnected and in contradiction
to one another. The United States and the Soviet
Union make up the First World. The developing
countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other
regions make up the Third World. The developed
countries between the two make up the Second
World.

The two superpowers, the United States and
the Soviet Union, are vainly seeking world hegemony.
Each in its own way attempts to bring the
developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin
America under its control and, at the same time, to
bully the developed countries that are not their
match in strength.

The two superpowers are the biggest international
exploiters and oppressors of today. They
are the source of a new world war. They both
possess large numbers of nuclear weapons. They
carry on a keenly contested arms race, station massive
forces abroad and set up military bases everywhere,
threatening the independence and security
of all nations. They both keep subjecting other
countries to their control, subversion, interference
or aggression. They both exploit other countries
economically, plundering their wealth and grabbing
their resources. In bullying others, the superpower
which flaunts the label of socialism is
especially vicious. It has dispatched its armed
forces to occupy its “ally” Czechoslovakia and
instigated the war to dismember Pakistan. It does
not honour its words and is perfidious; it is
self-seeking and unscrupulous.

The case of the developed countries in between
the superpowers and the developing countries is a
complicated one. Some of them still retain
colonialist relations of one form or another with
Third World countries, and a country like Portugal
even continues with its barbarous colonial rule. An
end must be put to this state of affairs. At the
same time, all these developed countries are in
varying degrees controlled, threatened or bullied
by the one superpower or the other. Some of them
have in fact been reduced by a superpower to the
position of dependencies under the signboard of its
so-called “family.” In varying degrees, all these
countries have the desire of shaking off superpower
enslavement or control and safeguarding their
national independence and the integrity of their
sovereignty.

The numerous developing countries have long
suffered from colonialist and imperialist oppression
and exploitation. They have won political independence,
yet all of them still face the historic task
of clearing out the remnant forces of colonialism,
developing the national economy and consolidating
national independence. These countries cover vast
territories, encompass a large population and
abound in natural resources. Having suffered the
heaviest oppression, they have the strongest desire
to oppose oppression and seek liberation and
development. In the struggle for national liberation
and independence, they have demonstrated
immense power and continually won splendid victories.
They constitute a revolutionary motive
force propelling the wheel of world history and are
the main force combating colonialism, imperialism,
and particularly the superpowers.

Since the two superpowers are contending for
world hegemony, the contradiction between them
is irreconcilable; one either overpowers the other,
or is overpowered. Their compromise and collusion
can only be partial, temporary and relative,
while their contention is all-embracing, permanent
and absolute. In the final analysis, the so-called
“balanced reduction of forces” and “strategic arms
limitation” are nothing but empty talk, for in fact
there is no “balance,” nor can there possibly be
“limitation.” They may reach certain agreements,
but their agreements are only a facade and a deception.
At bottom, they are aiming at greater and
fiercer contention. The contention between the
superpowers extends over the entire globe.

Strategically, Europe is the focus of their contention,
where they are in constant tense confrontation.
They are intensifying their rivalry in the
Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf,
the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Every day, they
talk about disarmament but are actually engaged
in arms expansion. Every day, they talk about
“detente” but are actually creating tension.
Wherever they contend, turbulence occurs. So long as
imperialism and social-imperialism exist, there definitely
will be no tranquillity in the world, nor will
there be “lasting peace.” Either they will fight
each other, or the people will rise in revolution. It
is as Chairman Mao Tsetung has said: The danger
of a new world war still exists, and the people of
all countries must get prepared. But revolution is
the main trend in the world today.

The two superpowers have created their own
antithesis. Acting in the way of the big bullying
the small, the strong domineering over the weak
and the rich oppressing the poor, they have aroused
strong resistance among the Third World and the
people of the whole world. The people of Asia,
Africa and Latin America have been winning new
victories in their struggles against colonialism,
imperialism, and particularly hegemonism. The Indo-chinese
peoples are continuing to press forward in
their struggles against U.S. imperialist aggression
and for national liberation. In the 4th Middle
East war, the people of the Arab countries and
Palestine broke through the control of the two
superpowers and the state of “no war, no peace” and
won a tremendous victory over the Israeli aggressors.
The African people’s struggles against imperialism,
colonialism and racial discrimination are
developing in depth. The Republic of Guinea-Bissau
was born in glory amidst the flames of
armed struggle. The armed struggles and mass
movements carried out by the peoples of Mozambique,
Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Azania
against Portuguese colonial rule and white racism
in South Africa and Southern Rhodesia are surging
ahead vigorously. The struggle to defend sea rights
initiated by Latin American countries has grown
into a worldwide struggle against the maritime
hegemony of the two superpowers. The 10th
Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of
the Organization of African Unity, the 4th Summit
Conference of the Non-Aligned Countries, the
Arab Summit Conference and the Islamic Summit
Conference successively voiced strong condemnation
against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism,
hegemonism, Zionism and racism, demonstrating the
developing countries’ firm will and determination
to strengthen their unity and support one another
in their common struggle against the hated enemies.
The struggles of the Asian, African
and Latin American countries and people, advancing
wave upon wave, have exposed the essential
weakness of imperialism, and particularly the
superpowers, which are outwardly strong but inwardly
feeble, and dealt heavy blows at their wild
ambitions to dominate the world.

The hegemonism and power politics of the two
superpowers have also aroused strong dissatisfaction
among the developed countries of the Second
World. The struggles of these countries against
superpower control, interference, intimidation,
exploitation and shifting of economic crises are
growing day by day. Their struggles also have a
significant impact on the development of the
international situation.

Innumerable facts show that all views that
overestimate the strength of the two hegemonic
powers and underestimate the strength of the
people are groundless. It is not the one or two
superpowers that are really powerful; the really
powerful are the Third World and the people of all
countries uniting together and daring to fight and
daring to win. Since numerous Third World
countries and people were able to achieve political
independence through protracted struggle, certainly
they will also be able, on this basis, to bring
about through sustained struggle a thorough change
in the international economic relations which are
based on inequality, control and exploitation and
thus create essential conditions for the independent
development of their national economy by strengthening
their unity and allying themselves with other
countries subjected to superpower bullying as well
as with the people of the whole world, including
the people of the United States and the Soviet
Union.

Mr. President,

The essence of the problems of raw materials
and development is the struggle of the developing
countries to defend their state sovereignty, develop
their national economy and combat imperialist, and
particularly superpower, plunder and control. This
is a very important aspect of the current struggle
of the Third World countries and people against
colonialism, imperialism and hegemonism.

As we all know, in the last few centuries colonialism
and imperialism unscrupulously enslaved
and plundered the people of Asia, Africa and Latin
America. Exploiting the cheap labour power of
the local people and their rich natural resources
and imposing a lopsided and single-product economy,
they extorted superprofits by grabbing low-priced
farm and mineral products, dumping their
industrial goods, strangling national industries
and carrying on an exchange of unequal values.
The richness of the developed countries and the
poverty of the developing countries are the result
of the colonialist and imperialist policy of plunder.

In many Asian, African and Latin American
countries that have won political independence, the
economic lifelines are still controlled by colonialism
and imperialism in varying degrees, and the old
economic structure has not changed fundamentally.
The imperialists, and particularly the superpowers,
have adopted neo-colonialist methods to continue
and intensify their exploitation and plunder of the
developing countries. They export capital to the
developing countries and build there a “state within
a state” by means of such international monopoly
organizations as “trans-national corporations” to
carry out economic plunder and political interference.
Taking advantage of their monopoly position in
international markets, they reap
fabulous profits by raising the export prices of
their own products and forcing down those of raw
materials from the developing countries. Moreover,
with the deepening of the political and economic
crises of capitalism and the sharpening of
their mutual competition, they are further intensifying
their plunder of the developing countries
by shifting the economic and monetary crises on to
the latter.

It must be pointed out that the superpower
which styles itself a socialist country is by no means
less proficient at neo-colonialist economic plunder.
Under the name of so-called “economic co-operation”
and “international division of labour,” it uses
high-handed measures to extort superprofits in its
“family.” In profiting at others’ expense, it has
gone to lengths rarely seen even in the case of other
imperialist countries. The “joint enterprises” it
runs in some countries under the signboard of “aid”
and “support” are in essence copies of “trans-
national corporations.” Its usual practice is to tag
a high price on out-moded equipment and sub-standard
weapons and exchange them for strategic
raw materials and farm produce of the developing
countries. Selling arms and ammunition in a big
way, it has become an international merchant of
death. It often takes advantage of others’ difficulties
to press for the repayment of debts. In the
recent Middle East war, it bought Arab oil at a low
price with the large amount of foreign exchange
it had earned by peddling munitions, and then sold
it at a high price, making staggering profits in the
twinkling of an eye. Moreover, it preaches the
theory of “limited sovereignty,” alleges that the
resources of developing countries are international
property, and even asserts that “the sovereignty
over the natural resources is depending to a great
extent upon the capability of utilizing these resources
by the industry of the developing countries.”
These are out-and-out imperialist fallacies.
They are even more undisguised than the so-called
“inter-dependence” advertised by the other
superpower, which actually means retaining the exploitative
relationship. A socialist country that is true
to its name ought to follow the principle of internationalism,
sincerely render support and assistance
to oppressed countries and nations and help them
develop their national economy. But this superpower
is doing exactly the opposite. This is additional
proof that it is socialism in words and
imperialism in deeds.

Plunder and exploitation by colonialism, imperialism,
and particularly by the superpowers,
are making the poor countries poorer and the rich
countries richer, further widening the gap between
the two. Imperialism is the greatest obstacle to
the liberation of the developing countries and to
their progress. It is entirely right and proper for
the developing countries to terminate imperialist
economic monopoly and plunder, sweep away these
obstacles and take all necessary measures to protect
their economic resources and other rights and
interests.

The doings of imperialism, and particularly the
superpowers, can in no way check the triumphant
advance of the developing countries along the road
of economic liberation. In the recent Middle East
war, the Arab countries, united as one, used oil
as a weapon with which they dealt a telling blow
at Zionism and its supporters. They did well, and
rightly too. This was a pioneering action taken by
developing countries in their struggle against imperialism.
It greatly heightened the fighting spirit
of the people of the Third World and deflated the
arrogance of imperialism. It broke through the
international economic monopoly long maintained
by imperialism and fully demonstrated the might
of a united struggle waged by developing countries.
If imperialist monopolies can gang up to
manipulate the markets at will, to the great detriment
of the vital interests of the developing
countries, why can’t developing countries unite to
break imperialist monopoly and defend their own
economic rights and interests? The oil battle has
broadened people’s vision. What was done in the
oil battle should and can be done in the case of
other raw materials.

It must be pointed out further that the significance
of the developing countries’ struggle to defend
their natural resources is by no means confined
to the economic field. In order to carry out arms
expansion and war preparations and to contend
for world hegemony, the superpowers are bound
to plunder rapaciously the resources of the Third
World. Control and protection of their own resources
by the developing countries are essential,
not only for the consolidation of their political
independence and the development of their
national economy, but also for combating superpower
arms expansion and war preparations and
stopping the superpowers from launching wars of
aggression.

Mr. President,

We maintain that the safeguarding of political
independence is the first prerequisite for a Third
World country to develop its economy. In
achieving political independence, the people of a
country have only taken the first step, and they
must proceed to consolidate this independence, for
there still exist remnant forces of colonialism at
home and there is still the danger of subversion
and aggression by imperialism and hegemonism.
The consolidation of political independence is
necessarily a process of repeated struggles. In the
final analysis, political independence and economic
independence are inseparable. Without political
independence, it is impossible to achieve economic
independence; without economic independence, a
country’s independence is incomplete and insecure.

The developing countries have great potentials
for developing their economy independently. As
long as a country makes unremitting efforts in the
light of its own specific features and conditions
and advances along the road of independence and
self-reliance, it is fully possible for it to attain
gradually a high level of development never reached
by previous generations in the modernization
of its industry and agriculture. The ideas of pessimism
and helplessness spread by imperialism in
connection with the question of the development
of developing countries are all unfounded and are
being disseminated with ulterior motives.

By self-reliance we mean that a country should
mainly rely on the strength and wisdom of its own
people, control its own economic lifelines, make full
use of its own resources, strive hard to increase
food production and develop its national economy
step by step and in a planned way. The policy of
independence and self-reliance in no way means
that it should be divorced from the actual conditions
of a country; instead, it requires that distinction
must be made between different circumstances,
and that each country should work out its own
way of practising self-reliance in the light of its
specific conditions. At the present stage, a developing
country that wants to develop its national
economy must first of all keep its natural resources
in its own hands and gradually shake off the control
of foreign capital. In many developing countries,
the production of raw materials accounts for
a considerable proportion of the national economy.
If they can take in their own hands the production,
use, sale, storage and transport of raw materials
and sell them at reasonable prices on the basis
of equitable trade relations in exchange for a
greater amount of goods needed for the growth
of their industrial and agricultural production,
they will then be able to resolve step by step the
difficulties they are facing and pave the way for an
early emergence from poverty and backwardness.

Self-reliance in no way means “self-seclusion”
and rejection of foreign aid. We have always considered
it beneficial and necessary for the development of
the national economy that countries should
carry on economic and technical exchanges on the
basis of respect for state sovereignty, equality and
mutual benefit, and the exchange of needed goods
to make up for each other’s deficiencies.

Here we wish to emphasize the special importance
of economic co-operation among the developing countries.
The Third World countries shared a common lot in
the past and now face the common tasks of opposing
colonialism, neo-colonialism and great-power hegemonism,
developing the national economy and building their respective
countries. We have every reason to unite more closely,
and no reason to become estranged from one
another. The imperialists, and particularly the
superpowers, are taking advantage of temporary
differences among us developing countries to sow
dissension and disrupt unity so as to continue their
manipulation, control and plunder. We must maintain
full vigilance. Differences among us developing countries
can very well be resolved, and should
be resolved, through consultations among the parties
concerned. We are glad that, on the question
of oil, the developing countries concerned are
making active efforts and seeking appropriate
ways to find a reasonable solution. We, the developing
countries, should not only support one
another politically but also help each other economically.
Our co-operation is a co-operation based
on true equality and has broad prospects.

Mr. President,

The Third World countries strongly demand
that the present extremely unequal international
economic relations be changed, and they have made
many rational proposals of reform. The Chinese
Government and people warmly endorse and firmly
support all just propositions made by Third
World countries.

We hold that in both political and economic
relations, countries should base themselves on the
Five Principles of mutual respect for sovereignty
and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression,
non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,
equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
We are opposed to the establishment of
hegemony and spheres of influence by any country
in any part of the world in violation of these
principles.

We hold that the affairs of each country should
be managed by its own people. The people of the
developing countries have the right to choose and
decide on their own social and economic systems.
We support the permanent sovereignty of the developing
countries over their own natural resources
as well as their exercise of it. We support the
actions of the developing countries to bring all
foreign capital, and particularly “trans-national
corporations,” under their control and management,
up to and including nationalization. We
support the position of the developing countries for
the development of their national economy through
“individual and collective self-reliance.”

We hold that all countries, big or small, rich
or poor, should be equal, and that international
economic affairs should be jointly managed by all
the countries of the world instead of being monopolized
by the one or two superpowers. We support the full
right of the developing countries, which comprise
the great majority of the world’s population, to take
part in all decision-making on international trade,
monetary, shipping and other matters.

We hold that international trade should be
based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit
and the exchange of needed goods. We support
the urgent demand of the developing countries to
improve trade terms for their raw materials,
primary products and semi-manufactured and
manufactured goods, to expand their market and
to fix equitable and favourable prices. We support
the developing countries in establishing various
organizations of raw material exporting countries
for a united struggle against colonialism, imperialism
and hegemonism.

We hold that economic aid to the developing
countries must strictly respect the sovereignty of
the recipient countries and must not be accompanied
by any political or military conditions and
the extortion of any special privileges or excessive
profits. Loans to the developing countries should
be interest-free or low-interest and allow for delayed
repayment of capital and interest, or even
reduction and cancellation of debts in case of necessity.
We are opposed to the exploitation of
developing countries by usury or blackmail in the
name of aid.

We hold that technology transferred to the
developing countries must be practical, efficient,
economical and convenient for use. The experts
and other personnel dispatched to the recipient
countries have the obligation to pass on conscientiously
technical know-how to the people there and
to respect the laws and national customs of the
countries concerned. They must not make special
demands or ask for special amenities, let alone
engage in illegal activities.

Mr. President,

China is a socialist country, and a developing
country as well. China belongs to the Third World.
Consistently following Chairman Mao’s teachings,
the Chinese Government and people firmly support all
oppressed peoples and oppressed nations in
their struggle to win or defend national independence,
develop the national economy and oppose
colonialism, imperialism and hegemonism. This is
our bounden internationalist duty. China is not
a superpower, nor will she ever seek to be one.
What is a superpower? A superpower is an
imperialist country which everywhere subjects
other countries to its aggression, interference, control,
subversion or plunder and strives for world
hegemony. If capitalism is restored in a big socialist
country, it will inevitably become a superpower.
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution,
which has been carried out in China in recent
years, and the campaign of criticizing Lin Piao
and Confucius now under way throughout China,
are both aimed at preventing capitalist restoration
and ensuring that socialist China will never change
her colour and will always stand by the oppressed
peoples and oppressed nations. If one day China
should change her colour and turn into a superpower,
if she too should play the tyrant in the
world, and everywhere subject others to her bullying,
aggression and exploitation, the people of the
world should identify her as social-imperialism,
expose it, oppose it and work together with the
Chinese people to overthrow it.

Mr. President,

History develops in struggle, and the world
advances amidst turbulence. The imperialists, and
the superpowers in particular, are beset with troubles
and are on the decline. Countries want independence,
nations want liberation and the people
want revolution — this is the irresistible trend of
history. We are convinced that, so long as the
Third World countries and people strengthen their
unity, ally themselves with all forces that can be
allied with and persist in a protracted struggle,
they are sure to win continuous new victories.